New Resources Available on Health Care Reform

As regular readers of this blog know, the health care legislation signed into law by President Obama in March has many implications for the attractions industry. The fact that the law is actually two different pieces of legislation—further complicated by the many “holes” that need to be filled in during the regulatory process—make it difficult to navigate, especially for small and seasonal businesses.

At its April meeting, the IAAPA Government Relations committee established a task force of industry professionals to help IAAPA GR staff and our consultants analyze the new law and determine where we could be most effective in the rulemaking process. The task force worked throughout April and May and produced two products we hope will be useful to IAAPA members as you begin to think about compliance.

IAAPA published a summary of key provisions that will most likely impact the attractions industry over the next four years. Members are encouraged to review the summary with their attorneys and Human Resources professionals. The summary addresses the employer responsibility provisions, food labeling requirements, tax credits, and other useful information, and provides a timeline for when various provisions go into effect.

On June 9, at 1 p.m. EDT, IAAPA will host a special webinar on health care reform. The webinar will be led by George Olsen of Williams & Jensen, a leading expert on health policy. By participating in this webinar, IAAPA members will learn about the provisions of the new law that uniquely affect the attractions industry, where further guidance is needed, and about IAAPA's ongoing legislative and regulatory efforts. Specifically, George will address:

• Employer responsibilities and penalties
• "Grandfathered" plans and things to consider before making changes to your current health plan
• Food labeling provisions
• A timeline for implementation
  

The webinar will feature an extended question-and-answer period where members can get guidance on the law and its implications for their businesses.

The webinar is free for IAAPA members, but you must register in advance.

As I said above, the health care reform issue is far from over. IAAPA is continuing to work on health care reform through the legislative and regulatory process, and will keep members aware of any developments.

Helping GKTW One Click at a Time

Our friends at Give Kids The World are asking for help raising money to refurbish some of their villas at the Village. Below is information from GKTW on how you can assist just by clicking your mouse:



Starting today, you can help Give Kids The World Village earn $250,000 with just the click of your mouse. Our idea to "refresh" the Village is now live on the Pepsi Refresh Project web site—and we need your help!

By voting once a day, every day in June you can help Give Kids The World receive this grant to refurbish our Village villas.

Follow these easy steps:

1. Visit www.refresheverything.com/givekidstheworld and click the "Vote for this idea" button.
2. A popup window will appear where you will enter your information and sign in.
3. After signing in, you will be taken back to the Give Kids The World page. Click "Vote for this idea" to submit your vote.
4. Tell your friends, family, and colleagues to "Vote 2 Refresh" GKTW.
5. Repeat once a day, every day until June 30.

It really is that simple to help us reach this amazing goal. Our success is in your hands!

Media Previews New Rides and Attractions at U.S. Parks

Thanks to all IAAPA members who sent information on their new attractions for 2010 to our press office!

Last week, AP travel editor Beth Harpaz published a summer preview story based on IAAPA’s annual “What’s New” at U.S. parks and attractions press release. You can read the story at USAToday.com; we've had calls from other reporters, as well, based on the release.

The IAAPA Communications Team also recently distributed a “What’s New” at U.S. waterparks press release. We will keep you updated on the progress of both publicity campaigns.

Keep an eye out for future opportunities like this to help us promote all the exciting new things you're doing. Later this summer we will collect information for a “What’s New” for Halloween release and a release previewing holiday events.

If you have any questions or would already like to start sending us some updates for later this year, please e-mail pressoffice@IAAPA.org.

Write This Down! More Tips for Green Meetings and Operations

In the June issue of FUNWORLD, Matt Lawrence, general manager at Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City, Michigan, told us how his location is implementing the company’s "Project Great Wolf," which has earned them a Green Seal certification at all its locations. In an excerpt from our conversation, Lawrence expanded on the area of meetings and corporate services, and Great Wolf’s focus on sustainability. Hopefully these pointers will be applicable at your own facility. Remember to check the June issue for many more tips!

Have you found that making your operations environmentally conscious has drawn more guests?
Yes! Having green standards in place has been a draw for our leisure and meeting guests. Some people are only interested in staying or booking a meeting if they know a facility is environmentally friendly.

How do you implement green practices into planning your meetings and corporate events?
There is no question that today’s meeting planners are looking for ways to be environmentally friendly while holding a memorable meeting or event. Turning an ordinary meeting into a green meeting is a lot easier than some would think. Here are some simple ways to conduct greener meetings—and general operations—and also cut costs.

• Provide attendees with pitchers of tap water instead of bottled water.
• Instead of print-outs, use e-mail to correspond and track information electronically. This not only saves trees, but also cuts costs for paper, ink cartridges, and postage.
• Find alternatives to disposable items. For example, we use dry erase boards, scrap paper, and table linens.
• Use programmable on/off timers or sensors in meeting rooms. If there isn’t any movement in the room motion sensors can signal the lights to turn off.
• We have co-mingled recycling bins in our conference center, all public areas, guest rooms, and employee areas.
• Our lighting uses only energy-efficient bulbs.
• We work directly with the Father Fred Foundation in Traverse City to donate unused food whenever possible. The food is temperature controlled so we can ensure the food we are donating is safe.

Employ Young People? Check Out These Resources!

Summer is quickly approaching. Young people will soon be out of school and reporting to their summer jobs at amusement parks and attractions across the United States. Or in some cases, they’ve already been working for a few weeks now. All of this makes now an excellent time to remind U.S. IAAPA members of the resources the federal government provides for businesses that employ workers under the age of 18.

Once again, IAAPA has partnered with the Department of Labor to get the word out about Youth Rules, an online database of federal and state labor laws. IAAPA members can visit Youth Rules and search by state to find out what sort of jobs young people can do, learn about mandatory work breaks, and get compliance assistance. Teens can look up what hours they are allowed to work, if they need to get a work permit (which they should do before schools close for the summer), and read some helpful tips on workplace safety.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), teens face a high risk of being injured on the job. A 10-year study, which concluded in 2007, found younger workers were twice as likely as their older counterparts to be treated in hospital emergency departments for work-related injuries.

To reduce this risk, NIOSH recently introduced Youth at Work: Talking Safety which can help teens identify workplace health and safety hazards, and take measures to reduce risk for injury. This curriculum is meant to be used in a classroom or other group training settings, and has been customized to address state-specific rules and regulations. The curriculum includes slides and talking points for the presenter, handouts, and completion certificates for the students, and interactive material such as an online video that can be emailed to employees to watch before they begin training.

The exciting atmosphere and family-friendly environment makes the attractions industry a great place for teens to work, and teens can make great employees. By reviewing resources such as Youth Rules and Youth at Work: Talking Safety, you can ensure everyone has a safe and successful summer.

Go Extreme or Go Home: Entertainment Design Group on ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’

One can usually spot the scenic work of Entertainment Design Group (EDG, www.goedg.com) on attractions such as “Terminator Salvation—The Ride” (left) at Six Flags Magic Mountain and “Bizarro” (bottom of post) at Six Flags New England and Six Flags Great Adventure. So when ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”—the home redesign show for families in need—approached EDG to make over a 6-year-old’s room, it was a perfect match. EDG, located in Atlanta, is only 85 miles from the newly built home, located in Pine Mountain Valley, Georgia.

The episode airs this Sunday, May 16, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. And before any secrets or final designs were let out of the bag, Gary Seputis, on-site production manager for the project, gave us a glimpse into the work behind the camera and what to expect when taking part in such a challenge.

How did you get involved with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” and how did you feel about participating?
We were contacted by Alexandra Lacey, one of the show’s design producers who had gotten our name from a company that participated in a previous episode. Most of us had seen the show before and we jumped at the opportunity to be involved.

I’ve seen a lot of episodes, and in many cases they’re doing basic design. But as things have gotten more extreme over the years, they’ve begun to do really off-the-wall projects—things that have to be custom built and designed. People probably don’t think of a scenic company as something for a home, but the show decided to tap into our resources.

What initial guidelines were you given at the project's outset?
Well the time frame was a little scary. They called us about four weeks before the installation and we started from scratch at that point. Alexandra threw some ideas out and over the weeks, those ideas changed completely; it was a very fluid process. Once she had met the child whose room we were designing, the design started to change a bit.

And all materials and services that appear on the show are 100 percent donated—down to each screw and every piece of drywall. All of our products, transportation, and time spent on design and construction time was donated. So, as other vendors for the episode either fell through or others were confirmed, we had to change the concept for the room. Alexandra came up with other ideas and there were a lot of phone conversations. We didn’t really get a final design until 48 hours before installation. We were still massaging the ideas up until that point.

The team (right): Team members working on the project included Gary Seputis; carpenters Shannon Lewallen and Tim Lewallen; Steven Guy; Ben Locke; and Ken Cain, who designed and drew renderings.

What moments did you most enjoy from the experience?
The whole process! It was really neat to be involved in such a huge undertaking—it’s absolutely crazy how large of a production this really is. What you don’t see on television is how many people are actually involved.

When we arrived to install, we were at the back of a line of 25 trucks. There was a queue headed up to the house and about 100 personal vehicles parked up and down the road of all the companies donating their goods and services. On top of that, there were 250 to 350 volunteers who parked at an off-site facility and were brought in on school buses. They were all there to paint, clean floors, and help install equipment. It was almost like an ant hill got kicked over and people were just flowing out.

When we arrived, the yard was nothing but clay and mud and workers were creating and paving the driveway. Then when we drove out that night, they had finished the driveway and everything was completely landscaped, all during that 12-hour work day.

Did EDG get to take part in the installation?
The frame and rough end of the house were built by other companies, but after designing our components, we took them on site and installed them ourselves. And we took special considerations because Jacob—whose room we were working on—is in a wheelchair. Everything needed to be made accessible to him and at a specific height.

From a public relations standpoint, how did you promote your involvement in the show?
Other than the one press release, we aren’t able to really promote our involvement until the episode airs. We couldn’t give out too much information, but we will be receiving credit on the show itself, which includes our name in the credits as well as on the web site of the show. We’ll also be able to put the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” logo and links to the episode on our EDG web site.

It just seems that people have a real connection with this show. So when people see that we’re involved and have donated our time and talents, that will help install trust in our company.

What advice do you have for other IAAPA members with similar television opportunities or redesign projects?
If anyone can afford to take it on, it’s a great opportunity, if just for the charity and community support aspects of it.

But it does take a huge amount of support and effort. Make sure you get a good idea of what the timeline and expectations are before you get involved. And understand there will be some changes. It was an exciting project for us, but we did not expect the timeline and expectations to keep changing like they did. Just roll with it and make it happen!

Check back next week for part two of our interview with Seputis, where he delves into the theming and installation details of the final room design, and what EDG learned as a company!

All photos courtesy Entertainment Design Group.

IAAPA Webinar: Training New Supervisors

On Tuesday, May 18, 1 p.m. EDT, attractions human resources experts Matt Eckert of Holiday World, Matt Heller of Universal Orlando, and Shaun McKeogh of Farah Leisure will share insight about the challenges new supervisors face and what their managers need to know about preparing them for a new role. McKeogh gave In the Queue a glimpse into what webinar participants will learn.

What are the key issues for this webinar?
The key issues highlighted in the webinar include highlighting the range of challenges faced by new supervisors, peer pressure, strategies to step up to the challenges, and practical advice and support to turn challenges into opportunities.

Please share an example of a challenge that new supervisors face?
New supervisors face the daunting task of having to rise above the pressure of having to fit in with colleagues and friends who they once worked alongside but now manage. The challenges faced by the new supervisor in this situation include fear of rejection from their friends, the pressure to favor friends in decision making, a reluctance to reprimand or remind colleagues, and rejection from friends. New supervisors have often been the popular person in friendship groups and now must make decisions or deliver instructions that may make them unpopular. It takes a strong, confident, and mature person to be able to deal with these challenges all at once.

What challenges do their current managers face in training them?
Current managers face challenges in training new supervisors if no rapport is built across the generation divide. Empathy for the new supervisors’ challenges and an awareness of the language that is best going to communicate to the generation of the new supervisor will make training and mentoring most effective.

What is the most appropriate audience for this session?
The best audiences for this webinar are colleagues considering a move to management, people who have recently moved into a new supervisors positions, and managers charged with training and mentoring new supervisors.

What takeaways can participants expect from this session?
An awareness of the issues faced by new supervisors and practical advice and support in addressing common new supervisor challenges.

To register or learn more on IAAPA’s e-learning programs, click here.